Details

Holes

18

Par

72

Built

2000

Type

Resort Course

Architect

Greg Norman

An extremely challenging golf course recommended for skilled and avid players the International measures a lengthy 7,363 yards from the Championship black tee. ChampionsGate International has the highest course rating in Florida, boasting a challenging 76.8 and a slope of 143. The remaining pin placements are blues at 6793/137 slope, the whites at 6239/132 and the golds at 5618/118. (Interactive course tour at bottom of page)
The golf course follows a classical pattern of two out-and-back loops of nine holes, has the look and feel of a links-style layout in the British Isles – except for the addition of water hazards. The International was designed, constructed and seeded to offer a hard, fast playing surface similar to those found on true links courses.
The golf course features high-side dunes, planted with swirling grasses that grow down literally into the banks of the hazards and to just paces off the fairway. Scattered throughout the course are randomly placed pot bunkers - over 160 in all. Miss hit shots can frequently lead to difficult lies in thick grass in the wind swept dunes, or out of tricky pot bunkers. The Greg Norman designed course rolls its way through Central Florida Wetlands, adding both beauty and challenges to the round. Welcome to Orlando Links Golf.
There are consequences for missing the fairways as the International course's common area rough has been allowed to grow natural and long, but there’s also plenty of room to drive the ball with wide, reachable fairways. Players able to shape shots will be rewarded, but shaping is not a priority - club selection is. The proper way to approach the course is where is the best located to miss?
The green complexes are always in excellent tournament playing conditions. Green sizes and shapes vary greatly and most golfers will continually find themselves off the putting surface wondering how to navigate the bumps and steep slopes to get the ball back on.
During the first weekend of December, the greatest collection of Major winners ever assembled used to compete on the International course in the Father Son Challenge. During that weekend you could have seen Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, VJ Singh, Bernard Langer, Larry Nelson and other Major winners compete with there sons to win the prestigious for the Willie Park Trophy. The ChampionsGate International Golf Course is truly where the champions play.